System and method for facilitating shopping and purchasing using an identity tag

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for facilitating shopping and purchasing. The systems and methods for facilitating shopping and purchasing use an identity tag as an item tracker and/or a transaction enabler.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The subject application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Nos. 62/440,478 filed on Dec. 30, 2016 and 62/525,245 filedon Jun. 27, 2017, the contents of which is hereby incorporated byreference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for facilitatingshopping and purchasing. The systems and methods for facilitatingshopping and purchasing use an identity tag as an item tracker and/or atransaction enabler.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Current systems and methods for shopping utilize scannable barcodes andprice stickers to identify and facilitate the sale of a product. Theproduct's barcode or price sticker is scanned or entered into apoint-of-sale system (PoS), and the transaction is completed using thePoS.

Barcodes identify goods based on the identity at a product level, notthe individualized item's identity. All goods matching a certainidentity (i.e., being the same product) will have the same barcode. Forexample, all shirts in a specific size, color, style, etc. will have thesame product identity, and, thus, the same barcode. However, eachindividualized item within that product identity will not beindividually identifiable from one another.

The current PoS system requires that each item be scanned individually.Additionally, purchases and returns are long processes that requiresverification of the purchase, the product, and the payment method. Thiscurrent process creates inefficiencies for customers and storeassociates.

Additionally, theft of items is a problem, and companies cannot readilycheck for theft against stock that may or may not still be on the floor.

Current systems for delivering customer service therefore are not onlyburdensome for customers but also time-consuming and costly forcompanies providing customer service to these customers. These and otherdrawbacks exist.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the present invention, together with furtherobjects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in the several Figures of which like reference numeralsidentify like elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a schematic diagram of a system for using an identity tagto deliver information via a tag reader, according to an exampleembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 depicts an example system and device to generate a usercustomized order interface, according to embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart illustrating an example method forfacilitating a sale via an identity tag for an item, according to anexample embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart illustrating an example method forfacilitating a return via an identity tag for an item, according to anexample embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart illustrating an example method for trackingan item via an identity tag for the item, according to an exampleembodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The following description is intended to convey a thorough understandingof the embodiments described by providing a number of specific exemplaryembodiments and details involving systems and methods for facilitatingshopping and purchasing using an item identity tag. It should beappreciated, however, that the present disclosure is not limited tothese specific embodiments and details, which are exemplary only. It isfurther understood that one possessing ordinary skill in the art, inlight of known systems and methods, would appreciate the use of theinvention for its intended purposes and benefits in any number ofalternative embodiments, depending on specific design and other needs.

As described herein, an identity tag may be an application or extensionof an existing application that is attached or embedded into an item.The identity tag may store a static data string identifier or theidentity tag itself may be able to dynamically write and/or programitself to change information regarding the item. The identity tag mayinclude Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), BLUETOOTH® Low Energy(BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), Ambient Backscatter Communication(ABC), or any other wireless technology known to one of ordinary skillin the art. Additionally, the identity tag may be passive or active. Forexample, a passive identity tag may respond with a static signal. Anactive identity tag may respond with a signal tailored to a variable,i.e., the environment, a condition, etc.

The identity tag reader may be able to detect identity tags usingsoftware to read the RFID, BLE, NFC, ABC, or other wireless technologythat is included in the identity tag. Additionally, the identity tagreader may be able to determine proximity to the identity tag, (e.g.,whether the identity tag is in immediate, near, or far proximity), therelation of the identity tag to other identity tags, the location of theidentity tag, and the like. The identity tag reader may utilize simpledistance, triangulation, or the like to determine proximity to theidentity tag. For example, the identity tag may be a static object thatis not broadcasting a signal but is being read by the identity tagreader, and the identity tag reader may utilize electronic mapping datato determine the proximity of the identity tag reader to the identitytag. The identity tag reader may be utilized in conjunction withmultiple identity tag readers to facilitate triangulation of the item todetermine location or proximity. The identity tag reader may be fixed inits location, movable, or utilize a combination of fixed and movableidentity tag readers and components.

The identity tag reader may include a processor, or processors, tointerpret and act on information obtained from the identity tag. Theidentity tag reader may be included and/or incorporated into a mobile orpersonal device (e.g., using a mobile application), a shopping bagand/or shopping cart, a kiosk, a gate and/or threshold, or other suchdevice. Additionally, identity tag reader(s) may be included in physicalor cloud-linked base stations throughout a store. The physical orcloud-linked base stations throughout the store may receive informationfrom the identity tag, analyze proximity to the identity tag, determinethe location of the identity tag, and transmit the information,proximity, and/or location of the identity tag to a network for thestore.

The identity tag reader may be included or incorporated into a mobiledevice via a mobile device application. The mobile device applicationmay utilize the mobile device's camera, BLUETOOTH® capabilities, and/orother ways to wirelessly communicate to receive information from theidentity tag.

The identity tag reader may transmit the information relating to theidentity tag, such as the proximity of the identity tag, the location ofthe identity tag, and the identifier contained in the identity tag, tothe merchant system. The merchant system may store the informationrelating to the identity tag, and may evaluate the information relatingto the identity tag. For example, the merchant system may utilize theinformation relating to the identity tag to maintain real-timeinformation regarding stock of products, locations of the item forsecurity purposes, data relating to the item's history (e.g., the numberof times an item has been moved from its display, the number of times anitem has been placed in a customer's cart and not purchased, the numberof times an item has been tried on, and the like), the length of time acustomer has stayed in close proximity to the item, and the like. Forexample, the identity tag reader (e.g., a customer's mobile device) mayregularly ping the identity tag to determine if the identity tag iswithin a certain distance of the identity tag reader. The identity tagreader may then transmit the number of responses to the pings over timereceived from the identity tag to calculate the length of time that acustomer has stayed in close proximity to the item.

Additionally, the identity tag reader may transmit, and the merchantsystem may store, a database of the item's history (e.g., locationhistory, price, purchase, return, and the like). The database may becreated using a blockchain methodology such that information may becontained in a list of ordered records that may be individuallytimestamped and may be stored across a network. The database as such maycontain information on the item as described herein, and may containinformation on the item post-sale, such as the location of the item andthe use of the item. The database may create a living record of theitem.

The example embodiments disclosed herein are directed to systems andmethods for facilitating shopping and purchasing via an identity tag.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system for using an identity tag forshopping and purchasing. According to the various embodiments of thepresent disclosure, a system 100 for shopping and purchasing may includean identity tag 140, an identity tag reader 120, a merchant system 130,and an account provider system 150 connected over network 110. System100 may utilize an open architecture that does not rely on anintegration of the operating system of the identity tag reader, themerchant system, and the account provider system.

An identity tag 140 may contain a static data string identifier, or maydynamically write and program itself to change information stored withinthe identity tag. The identity tag 140 may include Radio-FrequencyIdentification (RFID), BLUETOOTH® Low Energy (BLE), Near FieldCommunication (NFC), Ambient Backscatter Communication (ABC), or anyother wireless technology known to one of ordinary skill in the art.Additionally, the identity tag 140 may be passive or active/powered.

An identity tag reader 120 may receive product or item information fromthe identity tag 140 associated with a particular product or item inresponse to an excitation or query signal generating or triggering anoutput from the RFID tag. The identity tag reader 120 may contain aninput/output interface 122 and an application 124. The identity tagreader 120 may include a processor 128 to interpret and act oninformation obtained from identity tag 140. The identity tag reader 120may be able to detect identity tags using hardware and/or software toread the RFID, BLE, NFC, QR, ABC, or other wireless technology that isincluded in the identity tag 140. The identity tag reader 120 may beincluded and/or incorporated into a shopping bag and/or shopping cart, akiosk, a gate and/or threshold, or other such device.

Additionally, the identity tag reader 120 may be included and/orincorporated into a computing device 160, such as mobile or personaldevice (e.g., using a mobile application). The computing device 160 maycontain an input/output interface 162 and an application 164. Thecomputing device 160 may include a processor 168 to interpret and act oninformation obtained from identity tag 140 and/or identity tag reader120. The computing device 160 may include a display 169, for thecustomer to interact with the computing device 160.

The identity tag reader 120 may calculate data from the identity tag140, such as the proximity of the identity tag 140 in relation to theidentity tag reader 120. This information, such as the proximityinformation, may be transmitted via the network 110 or via wirelesstechnology (e.g., RFID, BLE, NFC, ABC, and the like) from the identitytag 140 to the identity tag reader 120.

This information, such as the proximity information, may be stored inthe identity tag reader 120, or may be transmitted through the network110 to the merchant system 130. The location of the identity tag 120 maybe determined using the proximity information as well as known locationinformation of the identity tag reader 120 (e.g., if the identity tagreader 120 is in a fixed location or if the location of the identity tagreader 120 is tracked). Alternatively, the location of the identity tag140 may be determined by first determining the location of the identitytag reader 120 using other location services (e.g., a location sensor ina fixed location in the store), then using the relevant positioninformation to determine the location of the identity tag 140.

The identity tag reader 120 may present information such asrecommendations based on the item information transmitted by theidentity tag 140. Additionally, the merchant system 130 may transmitsuch recommendations to the identity tag reader 120.

The identity tag reader 120 may receive the proximity information fromthe identity tag 140 and transmit the proximity information to themerchant system 130. The merchant system 130 may transmit a paymentrequest notification based on the proximity information to the accountprovider system 150. Additionally, data storage 136 on the merchantsystem 130 may be opened, and a secure connection between the accountprovider system 150 and the merchant system 130 may be established, viathe network 110. Customer payment information stored in the data storage136 of the merchant system 130 may be transmitted to the transactionsystem 152 of the account provider system 150 to facilitate thepurchasing of the item containing the identity tag 140. Alternatively,the identity tag reader 120 may transmit customer payment information tothe merchant system 130 to facilitate the purchasing of the itemcontaining the identity tag 140.

The account provider system 150 may then transmit a completedtransaction notification to the merchant system 130. The merchant system130 may store the completed transaction information in data storage 136,and may transmit the completed transaction information to the identitytag reader 120. The identity tag reader 120 may then transmit adeactivate security request to the identity tag 140. Alternatively, themerchant system 130 may transmit the deactivate security request to theidentity tag reader 120, and the identity tag reader 120 may transmitthe deactivate security request to the identity tag 140. Additionally,the merchant system 130, after receiving the completed transactioninformation from the account provider system 150, may record the item'ssale to the data storage 136. This allows the store to implement areal-time tracking of inventory.

The identity tag reader 120 may be included in or incorporated into, forexample, a portable device, a shopping bag, a shopping cart, a kiosk, agate and/or a threshold. The portable device, shopping bag, shoppingcart, kiosk, gate and/or threshold may include a card reader forfacilitating the purchase of the item. The card reader may include asmartcard reader, an EMV card reader, a magstripe reader, a BLE reader,and/or a NFC reader. The identity tag reader 120 may transmit theinformation obtained from the card reader to the merchant system 130.

The identity tag 140 may transmit, and the identity tag reader 120 mayreceive, proximity information regarding an item for a return of theitem by the customer. The identity tag reader 120 may transmit to themerchant system 130 the item information based on the proximity of theitem to the identity tag reader 120. The merchant system 130 maytransmit a return notification and relevant item information (e.g.,return price) to the account provider system 150 based on informationstored in the data storage 136 of the merchant system 130 that indicatesthat the item was previously purchased. The account provider system 150may process the return of the item using the return notification andrelevant item information transferred by the merchant system 130, andmay transmit a completed return notification to the merchant system 130.The merchant system 130 may transmit an activate security notificationto the identity tag reader 120. The identity tag reader 120 may thentransmit an activate security notification to the identity tag 140.Alternatively, the merchant system 130 may transmit the completed returnnotification to the identity tag reader 120, and the identity tag reader120 may then transmit an activate security notification to the identitytag 140.

Additionally, the merchant system 130, after receiving the completedreturn notification from the account provider system 150, may record theitem's return to the data storage 136. This allows the store to have areal-time tracking of inventory.

Identity tag reader 120 may include communications systems that mayfunction to communicate data with external systems, determine inventorybased on inventory signals, connect to peripheral devices (e.g.,printers, scanners, registers), and user devices. The communicationssystems may be wired or wireless. The wireless communications systemsmay be WiFi, cellular, satellite, RF, IR, Bluetooth®, BLE, NFC or anyother suitable module.

The network 110 may be one or more of a wireless network, a wirednetwork, and/or any combination of a wireless network and a wirednetwork. For example, network 110 may include one or more of a fiberoptics network, a passive optical network, a cable network, an Internetnetwork, a satellite network, a wireless LAN, a Global System for MobileCommunication (GSM), a Personal Communication Service (PCS), a PersonalArea Networks, (PAN), D-AMPS, Wi-Fi, Fixed Wireless Data, IEEE 802.11b,802.15.1, 802.11n, and 802.11g or any other wired or wireless networkfor transmitting and receiving a data signal.

In addition, network 110 may include, without limitation, telephonelines, fiber optics, IEEE Ethernet 902.3, a wide area network (WAN), alocal area network (LAN) or a global network such as the Internet. Also,network 110 may support an Internet network, a wireless communicationnetwork, a cellular network, or the like, or any combination thereof.Network 110 may include one network, or any number of example types ofnetworks mentioned above, operating as a stand-alone network or incooperation with each other. Network 110 may utilize one or moreprotocols of one or more network elements to which they arecommunicatively couples. Network 110 may translate to or from otherprotocols to one or more protocols of network devices. Although network110 is depicted as a single network, it should be appreciated thataccording to one or more embodiments, network 110 may comprise aplurality of interconnected networks, such as, for example, theInternet, a service provider's network, a cable television network,corporate networks, and home networks.

Identity tag reader 120 may access network 110 through one or more kioskprocessors, if the identity tag reader 120 is incorporated into a kiosk,that may be communicatively coupled to the network 110.

Identity tag reader 120 may access network 110 through one or moremobile devices or personal devices, if the identity tag reader 120 isincorporated into a mobile or personal device, that also may becommunicatively coupled to the network 110.

For example, a mobile device may be an IPHONE®, IPOD®, IPAD®, APPLEWATCH® from APPLE® or any other mobile device running Apple's iOSoperating system, any device running Google's ANDROID® operating system,including for example, Google's wearable device, Google Glass, anydevice running Microsoft's WINDOWS® Mobile operating system, and/or anyother smartphone or like wearable mobile device.

For example, a personal device also may include a handheld PC, a phone,a smartphone, a PDA, a tablet computer, or other device. The mobiledevice and/or personal device may include one or more softwareapplications, such as a mobile application.

Identity tag reader 120 may access network 110 through one or moretransmitting devices, if the identity tag reader 120 is incorporatedinto a shopping bag, shopping cart, gate, and/or threshold, that alsomay be communicatively coupled to the network 110.

An example merchant system 130, account provider system 150 and/oridentity tag reader 120 may include one or more network-enabledcomputers to process instructions for shopping and purchasing. Asreferred to herein, a network-enabled computer may include, but is notlimited to: e.g., any computer device, or communications deviceincluding, e.g., a server, a network appliance, a personal computer(PC), a workstation, a mobile device, a phone, a handheld PC, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a thin client, a fat client, an Internetbrowser, or other device. The one or more network-enabled computers ofthe example system 100 may execute one or more software applications forfacilitating shopping and purchasing.

An example merchant system 130, account provider system 150 and/oridentity tag reader 120 may include, for example, a processor, which maybe several processors, a single processor, or a single device havingmultiple processors. A merchant system 130, account provider system 150and/or identity tag reader 120 may access and be communicatively coupledto the network 110. A merchant system 130, account provider system 150and/or identity tag reader 120 may store information in variouselectronic storage media, such as, for example, a database and/or otherdata storage (e.g., data storage 136, 126, 154). Electronic informationmay be stored in a merchant system 130, account provider system 150and/or identity tag reader 120 in a format such as, for example, a flatfile, an indexed file, a hierarchical database, a post-relationaldatabase, a relational database, such as a database created andmaintained with software from, for example Oracle® Corporation,Microsoft® Excel file, Microsoft® Access file, or any other storagemechanism.

An example merchant system 130, account provider system 150 and/oridentity tag reader 120 may send and receive data using one or moreprotocols. For example, data may be transmitted and received usingWireless Application Protocol (WAP), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS),Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS), Short Message Service (SMS), GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (GSM) based systems, Time DivisionMultiplexing (TDM) based systems, Code Division Multiples Access (CDMA)based systems suitable for transmitting and receiving data. Data may betransmitted and received wirelessly or may utilize cabled networkconnections or telecom connections, fiber connections, traditional phonewireline connection, a cable connection, or other wired networkconnection.

Each merchant system 130, account provider system 150 and/or identitytag reader 120 of FIG. 1 also may be equipped with physical media, suchas, but not limited to, a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc(DVD), a floppy disk, a hard drive, read only memory (ROM), randomaccess memory (RAM), as well as other physical media capable of storingsoftware, or combinations thereof. Merchant system 130, account providersystem 150 and/or identity tag reader 120 may be able to perform thefunctions associated with methods for facilitating shopping andpurchasing via an identity tag 140. Merchant system 130, accountprovider system 150 and/or identity tag reader 120 may, for example,house the software for methods for payment processing and datatransmission, obviating the need for a separate device on the network110 to run the methods housed on a merchant system 130, account providersystem 150 and/or identity tag reader 120.

Furthermore, the information stored in a database may be available overthe network 110, with the network containing data storage. A databasehoused in merchant system 130, account provider system 150 and/oridentity tag reader 120 or the network 110, may store, or may connect toexternal data warehouses that store, for example, customer account data,item information data, product information data, and/or store inventorydata.

Customer account data may include for example, account number, customername, date of birth, address, phone number(s), email address, paymentdata (e.g., financial account number used to make payments, financialinstitution address, phone number, website, and the like), transactionhistory, customer preferences, and the like. Item information data mayinclude, for example, the identity tag associated with the item. Productinformation data may include, for example, product description (e.g.,brand, item type, size, color, style, capacity, dimensions, shape,weight, price, relevant instructions, materials, compatibility, and thelike), recommendations based on the product description, and the like.Store inventory data may include for example, the number of each productavailable in the store, the specific identity tags associated with eachitem of the product, the location of each item of the product, thenumber of items of the product on order, the number of items of eachproduct sold, and the like.

An account may include, for example, a credit card account, a prepaidcard account, stored value card account, debit card account, check cardaccount, payroll card account, gift card account, prepaid credit cardaccount, charge card account, checking account, rewards account, line ofcredit account, credit account, mobile device account, an accountrelated to goods and/or services, or mobile commerce account. An accountmay or may not have an associated card, such as, for example, a creditcard for a credit account or a debit card for a debit account. Theaccount may enable payment using biometric authentication, orcontactless based forms of authentication, such as QR codes ornear-field communications. The account card may be associated oraffiliated with one or more social networking sites.

Account provider system 150 may include systems associated with, forexample, a banking service company such as CAPITAL ONE®, BANK OFAMERICA®, CITIBANK®, WELLS FARGO®, SUN TRUST®, various community banks,and the like, as well as a number of other financial institutions suchas VISA®, MASTERCARD®, and AMERICAN EXPRESS® that issue credit and/ordebit cards, for example, as transaction cards. Account provider system150 may include a merchant account system. Account provider system 150may include and/or be connected to one or more computer systems andnetworks to process transactions. For example, account provider system150 may process transactions as shown and described in FIGS. 3 and 4below. Account provider system 150 may include systems associated withfinancial institutions that issue transaction cards, including dynamictransaction cards, and maintains a contract with cardholders forrepayment. In various embodiments, an account provider system 150 mayissue credit, debit, and/or stored value account. Account providersystem 150 may include, by way of example and not limitation, depositoryinstitutions (e.g., banks, credit unions, building societies, trustcompanies, mortgage loan companies, pre-paid gift cards or credit cards,etc.), contractual institutions (e.g., insurance companies, pensionfunds, mutual funds, etc.), investment institutions (e.g., investmentbanks, underwriters, brokerage funds, etc.), and other non-bankfinancial institutions (e.g., pawn shops or brokers, cashier's checkissuers, insurance firms, check-cashing locations, payday lending,currency exchanges, microloan organizations, crowd-funding orcrowd-sourcing entities, third-party payment processors, etc.).

Account provider system 150 may include a transaction system 152 anddata storage 154. Transaction system 152 may include various hardwareand software components to communicate between a merchant, acquisitionsystem, account provider system, and/or a user device to process atransaction, such as a user purchase. Data storage 154 may store dataassociated with an account (e.g., card number, account type, accountbalance, account limits, budget data, recent transactions, pairing datasuch as time and date of pairing with a mobile device, and the like) andaccount holder data (e.g., account holder name, address, phonenumber(s), email address, demographic data, and the like).

Referring to FIG. 2, which depicts an example system 200 that may enablea system, such as an account provider system 150, for example, toprovide network services to its users. As shown in FIG. 2, system 200may include a customer device 202, a network 204, a front-end controlleddomain 206, a back-end controlled domain 212, and a backend 218.Front-end controlled domain 206 may include one or more load balancers208 and one or more web servers 210. Back-end controlled domain 212 mayinclude one or more load balancers 214 and one or more applicationservers 216.

Customer device 202 may be a network-enabled computer, similar tocustomer device 140. As referred to herein, a network-enabled computermay include, but is not limited to: e.g., any computer device, orcommunications device including, e.g., a server, a network appliance, apersonal computer (PC), a workstation, a mobile device, a phone, ahandheld PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a thin client, a fatclient, an Internet browser, or other device. The one or morenetwork-enabled computers of the example system 200 may execute one ormore software applications to enable, for example, networkcommunications.

Customer device 202 also may be a mobile device: for example, a mobiledevice may include an iPhone, iPod, iPad from Apple® or any other mobiledevice running Apple's iOS operating system, any device running Google'sAndroid® operating system, including for example, Google's wearabledevice, Google Glass, any device running Microsoft's Windows® Mobileoperating system, and/or any other smartphone or like wearable mobile orrelated connected device.

Network 204 may be one or more of a wireless network, a wired network,or any combination of a wireless network and a wired network. Forexample, network 204 may include one or more of a fiber optics network,a passive optical network, a cable network, an Internet network, asatellite network, a wireless LAN, a Global System for MobileCommunication (GSM), a Personal Communication Service (PCS), a PersonalArea Networks, (PAN), D-AMPS, Wi-Fi, Fixed Wireless Data, IEEE 802.11b,802.15.1, 802.11n, and 802.11g or any other wired or wireless networkfor transmitting and receiving a data signal.

In addition, network 204 may include, without limitation, telephonelines, fiber optics, IEEE Ethernet 902.3, a wide area network (WAN), alocal area network (LAN) or a global network such as the Internet. Also,network 204 may support an Internet network, a wireless communicationnetwork, a cellular network, or the like, or any combination thereof.Network 204 may include one network, or any number of example types ofnetworks mentioned above, operating as a stand-alone network or incooperation with each other. Network 204 may utilize one or moreprotocols of one or more network elements to which they arecommunicatively couples. Network 204 may translate to or from otherprotocols to one or more protocols of network devices. Although network204 is depicted as a single network, it should be appreciated thataccording to one or more embodiments, network 204 may comprise aplurality of interconnected networks, such as, for example, theInternet, a service provider's network, a cable television network,corporate networks, and home networks.

Front-end controlled domain 206 may be implemented to provide securityfor backend 218. Load balancer(s) 208 may distribute workloads acrossmultiple computing resources, such as, for example computers, a computercluster, network links, central processing units or disk drives. Invarious embodiments, load balancer(s) 208 may distribute workloadsacross, for example, web server(s) 210 and/or backend 218 systems. Loadbalancing aims to optimize resource use, maximize throughput, minimizeresponse time, and avoid overload of any one of the resources. Usingmultiple components with load balancing instead of a single componentmay increase reliability through redundancy. Load balancing is usuallyprovided by dedicated software or hardware, such as a multilayer switchor a Domain Name System (DNS) server process.

Load balancer(s) 208 may include software monitoring the port whereexternal clients, such as, for example, customer device 202, connect toaccess various services of a call center, for example. Load balancer(s)208 may forward requests to one of the application servers 216 and/orbackend 218 servers, which may then reply to load balancer 208. This mayallow load balancer(s) 208 to reply to customer device 202 withoutcustomer device 202 ever knowing about the internal separation offunctions. It also may prevent customer devices from contacting backendservers directly, which may have security benefits by hiding thestructure of the internal network and preventing attacks on backend 218or unrelated services running on other ports, for example.

A variety of scheduling algorithms may be used by load balancer(s) 208to determine which backend server to send a request to. Simplealgorithms may include, for example, random choice or round robin. Loadbalancers 208 also may account for additional factors, such as aserver's reported load, recent response times, up/down status(determined by a monitoring poll of some kind), number of activeconnections, geographic location, capabilities, or how much traffic ithas recently been assigned.

Load balancers 208 may be implemented in hardware and/or software. Loadbalancer(s) 208 may implement numerous features, including, withoutlimitation: asymmetric loading; Priority activation; SSL Offload andAcceleration; Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack protection;HTTP compression; TCP offloading; TCP buffering; direct server return;health checking; HTTP caching; content filtering; HTTP security;priority queuing; rate shaping; content-aware switching; clientauthentication; programmatic traffic manipulation; firewall; intrusionprevention systems.

Web server(s) 210 may include hardware (e.g., one or more computers)and/or software (e.g., one or more applications) that deliver webcontent that can be accessed by, for example a client device (e.g.,customer device 202) through a network (e.g., network 204), such as theInternet. In various examples, web servers, may deliver web pages,relating to, for example, online banking applications and the like, toclients (e.g., caller device 202). Web server(s) 210 may use, forexample, a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP or sHTTP) to communicatewith customer device 202. The web pages delivered to client device mayinclude, for example, HTML or XML documents, which may include images,style sheets and scripts in addition to text content.

A user agent, such as, for example, a web browser, web crawler, ornative mobile application, may initiate communication by making arequest for a specific resource using a transfer protocol and web server210 may respond with the content of that resource or an error message ifunable to do so. The resource may be, for example a file on stored onbackend 218. Web server(s) 210 also may enable or facilitate receivingcontent from customer device 202 so customer device 202 may be able to,for example, submit web forms, including uploading of files.

Web server(s) also may support server-side scripting using, for example,Active Server Pages (ASP), PHP, or other scripting languages.Accordingly, the behavior of web server(s) 210 can be scripted inseparate files, while the actual server software remains unchanged.

Load balancers 214 may be similar to load balancers 208 as describedabove.

Application server(s) 216 may include hardware and/or software that isdedicated to the efficient execution of procedures (e.g., programs,routines, scripts) for supporting its applied applications. Applicationserver(s) 216 may comprise one or more application server frameworks,including, for example, Java application servers (e.g., Java platform,Enterprise Edition (Java EE), the .NET framework from Microsoft®, PHPapplication servers, and the like). The various application serverframeworks may contain a comprehensive service layer model. Also,application server(s) 216 may act as a set of components accessible to,for example, a call center, system supported by a call center, or otherentity implementing system 200, through an API defined by the platformitself. For Web applications, these components may be performed in, forexample, the same running environment as web server(s) 210, andapplication servers 216 may support the construction of dynamic pages.Application server(s) 216 also may implement services, such as, forexample, clustering, fail-over, and load-balancing. In variousembodiments, where application server(s) 216 are Java applicationservers, the web server(s) 216 may behaves like an extended virtualmachine for running applications, transparently handling connections todatabases associated with backend 218 on one side, and, connections tothe Web client (e.g., customer device 202) on the other.

Backend 218 may include hardware and/or software that enables thebackend services of, for example, a customer authentication system orother entity that maintains a distributed system similar to system 200.For example, backend 218 may include a system of customer authenticationrecords, mobile applications, online platforms, and the like. In theexample where a backend 218 is associated with a financial institution,backend 218 may include a system of record, online banking applications,a rewards platform, a payments platform, a lending platform, includingthe various services associated with, for example, auto and home lendingplatforms, a statement processing platform, one or more platforms thatprovide mobile services, one or more platforms that provide onlineservices, a card provisioning platform, a general ledger system, and thelike. Backend 218 may be associated with various databases, includingaccount databases that maintain, for example, customer account data,customer privacy data, and or customer authentication data. Additionaldatabases may maintain customer account information, product databasesthat maintain information about products and services available tocustomers, content databases that store content associated with, forexample, a financial institution, and the like. Backend 218 also may beassociated with one or more servers that enable the various servicesprovided by system 200.

FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart illustrating an example method forfacilitating shopping and purchasing via an identity tag, according toan example embodiment. The method 300 illustrated in FIG. 3 is describedusing an identity tag, an identity tag reader, a merchant system, and anaccount holder system. One of ordinary skill in the art will understandthat similar techniques for facilitating shopping and purchasing couldbe utilized in various other customer interaction channels referencedherein.

The method 300 may begin at block 301. At block 302, an identity tag maysend and an identity tag reader may receive a signal. The signal fromthe identity tag may be a transmission of a static data stringidentifier, or may be a dynamic identifier. For example, the identitytag may store a static data string identifier, which may be unchangeableby the identity tag. Or, the identity tag may be able to dynamicallywrite and/or program itself to change information stored directly on thetag by way of its communication with other devices, such as a dynamicidentifier. At block 304, the identity tag reader may send and themerchant system may receive item information based on the signal. Thisitem information may relate to the location of the item, the securitystatus of the item, and the like. Based on the proximity of the item toa defined area (e.g., a gate, a threshold, etc.), at block 306, theidentity tag reader may send and the merchant system may receive apayment request notification. The payment request notification maycontain the item information, such as the identity tag identifier.Alternatively, the merchant system may generate the payment requestnotification based on the item information received from the identitytag reader.

At block 308, the merchant system may send and the account providersystem may receive the payment request notification, the productinformation data and customer account data. Product information data mayinclude information related to the product identity of the item, forexample, the product description (e.g., brand, item type, size, color,style, capacity, dimensions, shape, weight, relevant instructions,materials, compatibility, and the like), the price, and the like.Customer account data may include for example, account number, customername, date of birth, address, phone number(s), email address, paymentdata (e.g., financial account number used to make payments, financialinstitution address, phone number, website, and the like), transactionhistory, customer preferences, and the like. The account provider systemmay process the transaction based on the payment request notification,the product information data, and the customer account data.

At block 310, the account provider system may send and the merchantsystem may receive a completed payment notification. The completedpayment notification may include a confirmation number for thetransaction.

The merchant system may send and the identity tag reader may receive arequest to deactivate the security features of the item in block 312. Atblock 314, the identity tag reader may send and the identity tag mayreceive the request to deactivate the security features. The identitytag may deactivate the security features based on that request. Themethod may end at block 316.

FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart illustrating an example method forfacilitating shopping and purchasing via an identity tag, according toan example embodiment. The method 400 illustrated in FIG. 4 is describedusing an identity tag, an identity tag reader, a merchant system, and anaccount holder system. One of ordinary skill in the art will understandthat similar techniques for facilitating shopping and purchasing couldbe utilized in various other customer interaction channels referencedherein.

The method 400 may begin at block 401. At block 402, an identity tag maysend and an identity tag reader may receive a signal. The signal fromthe identity tag may be a transmission of a static data stringidentifier, or may be a dynamic identifier. At block 404, the identitytag reader may send and the merchant system may receive item informationbased on the signal. This item information may relate to the itemidentifier based on the signal, the security status of the item, and thelike.

The merchant system may compare the item information based on the signalto the data stored on the merchant system to determine the priorpurchase information related to the item, such as the date of purchase,the identity of the purchaser, the customer account data related to thepurchaser, and the like. If the item is eligible for return, at block406, the merchant system may send and the account provider system mayreceive a return request notification, the item information, and thecustomer account data. The return request notification may contain theitem information, such as the identity tag identifier, the price, andthe like.

At block 408, the account provider system may send and the merchantsystem may receive the completed refund request notification. Thecompleted refund request notification may include a confirmation numberfor the refund.

The merchant system may send and the identity tag reader may receive arequest to activate the security features of the item in block 410. Atblock 412, the identity tag reader may send and the identity tag mayreceive the request to activate the security features. The identity tagmay activate the security features based on that request. The method mayend at block 414.

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart illustrating an example method forfacilitating tracking an item via an identity tag, according to anexample embodiment. The method 500 illustrated in FIG. 5 is describedusing an identity tag, an identity tag reader, a merchant system, and anaccount holder system. One of ordinary skill in the art will understandthat similar techniques for facilitating shopping and purchasing couldbe utilized in various other customer interaction channels referencedherein.

The method 500 may begin at block 501. At block 502, an identity tag maysend and an identity tag reader may receive a signal. The signal fromthe identity tag may be a transmission of a static data stringidentifier, or may be a dynamic identifier. The identity tag reader maybe included in or incorporated into a customer's mobile device (e.g.,using a mobile application), that continues to track the item afterpurchase. At block 504, the identity tag reader may send and themerchant system may receive item information based on the signal. Thisitem information may relate to the item identifier based on the signal,the security status of the item, the location of the item, the historyof the location of the item, diagnostic information regarding the item,and the like.

At block 506, the merchant system may store the item information in itsdata storage. At block 508, the merchant system may send and the accountprovider system may receive the item information. The account providersystem may store the item information in its data storage. The methodmay end at block 510.

The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particularembodiments described in this application, which are intended asillustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations canbe made without departing from its spirit and scope, as may be apparent.Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of thedisclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, may be apparent fromthe foregoing representative descriptions. Such modifications andvariations are intended to fall within the scope of the appendedrepresentative claims. The present disclosure is to be limited only bythe terms of the appended representative claims, along with the fullscope of equivalents to which such representative claims are entitled.It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for thepurpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intendedto be limiting.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singularterms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from theplural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as isappropriate to the context and/or application. The varioussingular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sakeof clarity.

It may be understood by those within the art that, in general, termsused herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of theappended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term“including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” theterm “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term“includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,”etc.). It may be further understood by those within the art that if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such anintent may be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence ofsuch recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimrecitations.

However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply thatthe introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or“an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claimrecitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even whenthe same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “atleast one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or“an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); thesame holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claimrecitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introducedclaim recitation is explicitly recited, such recitation should beinterpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the barerecitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, means at leasttwo recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in thoseinstances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C,etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the senseone having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “asystem having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not belimited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and Ctogether, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “atleast one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a constructionis intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understandthe convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” wouldinclude but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, Calone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A,B, and C together, etc.). It may be further understood by those withinthe art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting twoor more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, ordrawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities ofincluding one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. Forexample, the phrase “A or B” may be understood to include thepossibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

The preceding description, along with its associated embodiments, hasbeen presented for purposes of illustration only. It is not exhaustiveand does not limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Thoseskilled in the art may appreciate from the foregoing description thatmodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings or may be acquired from practicing the disclosed embodiments.For example, the steps described need not be performed in the samesequence discussed or with the same degree of separation. Likewisevarious steps may be omitted, repeated, or combined, as necessary, toachieve the same or similar objectives. Accordingly, the invention isnot limited to the above-described embodiments, but instead is definedby the appended claims in light of their full scope of equivalents.

In the preceding specification, various preferred embodiments have beendescribed with references to the accompanying drawings. It may, however,be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto,and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing fromthe broader scope of the invention as set forth in the claims thatfollow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded asan illustrative rather than restrictive sense.

1. A system, comprising: an identity tag that sends a signal; anidentity tag reader that receives the signal; a merchant system thatreceives, via an associated customer interaction network, a paymentrequest notification; and an account provider system that receives, viaan associated customer interaction network, a request to process atransaction, customer account data, and product information data;wherein: the identity tag reader determines the proximity of theidentity tag based on the signal and generates the payment requestnotification; the merchant system generates the customer account dataand the product information data; and the account provider systemprocesses the transaction based on the customer account data and theproduct information data.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the identitytag comprises Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), BLUETOOTH® LowEnergy (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), and/or Ambient BackscatterCommunication (ABC).
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the identity tagis active or passive.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the identity tagreader is included in and/or incorporated into a mobile device, apersonal device, a shopping bag, a shopping cart, a kiosk, a gate,and/or a threshold.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the productinformation data comprises product descriptions, and wherein the productdescriptions comprise brand, item type, size, color, style, capacity,dimensions, shape, weight, price, relevant instructions, materials,and/or compatibility.
 6. A system, comprising: an identity tag thatsends a signal; an identity tag reader that receives the signal; amerchant system that receives, via an associated customer interactionnetwork, item information based on the signal; and an account providersystem that receives, via an associated customer interaction network, arequest to process a transaction, customer account data, and productinformation data; wherein: the identity tag reader determines theproximity of the identity tag based on the signal and generates the iteminformation; the merchant system generates the payment requestnotification, the customer account data and the product informationdata; and the account provider system processes the transaction based onthe customer account data and the product information data.
 7. Thesystem of claim 6, wherein the identity tag comprises Radio-FrequencyIdentification (RFID), BLUETOOTH® Low Energy (BLE), Near FieldCommunication (NFC), and/or Ambient Backscatter Communication (ABC). 8.The system of claim 6, wherein the identity tag is active or passive. 9.The system of claim 6, wherein the identity tag reader is included inand/or incorporated into a mobile device, a personal device, a shoppingbag, a shopping cart, a kiosk, a gate, and/or a threshold.
 10. Thesystem of claim 6, wherein the product information data comprisesproduct descriptions, and wherein the product descriptions comprisebrand, item type, size, color, style, capacity, dimensions, shape,weight, price, relevant instructions, materials, and/or compatibility.11. A computer-implemented method, comprising: producing a signal froman identity tag included or embedded in an item; receiving, via anidentity tag reader, the signal from the identity tag; determining theidentity tag's location in relation to the identity tag reader;generating a transaction request notification based on the identitytag's location in relation to the identity tag reader; identifyingcustomer account data and product information data; transmitting, via acustomer interaction channel associated with a customer interactionnetwork, the customer account data and the product information data toan account provider system for transaction processing; changing securityfeatures in the item based on the processing of the transaction.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the transaction request notification is apurchase request notification.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein thechange to the security features is a deactivation of the securityfeatures.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the transaction requestnotification is a return request notification.
 15. The method of claim11, wherein the change to the security features is an activation of thesecurity features.
 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the identity tagcomprises Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), BLUETOOTH® Low Energy(BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), and/or Ambient BackscatterCommunication (ABC).
 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the identitytag is active or passive.
 18. The system of claim 11, wherein theidentity tag reader is included in and/or incorporated into a mobiledevice, a personal device, a shopping bag, a shopping cart, a kiosk, agate, and/or a threshold.
 19. The system of claim 11, wherein theproduct information data comprises product descriptions, and wherein theproduct descriptions comprise brand, item type, size, color, style,capacity, dimensions, shape, weight, price, relevant instructions,materials, and/or compatibility.